Conductor clamp



March 6, 1928. 1,661,375

E. F. LEIGHTON CONDUCTOR CLAMP Filed March 15. m2

Patented Mar. 6, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFEQ.

manner I. nnren'ron, or ANDERSON, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR, BY mnsnn Assiminames, 'ro nnnco-nnmy CORPORATION, or DAYTON, 01110, A conronArron or DELAWARE.

CONDUCTOR CLAMP.

Application filed March 15, 1926. Serial No. 94,634.

This invention relates to manufacture of conductor clamps for storage battery terminals and particularly to the type of clamp which includes a split ring clam ing por tion adapted to embrace the tapere lead terminal of a storage battery, and having a socket portion adapted to receive a wire which is permanently attached to the terminal clam y ll @ne of the objects of the present invention is to reduce the cost of the manufacture of conductor clamps for the storage battery terminals. Heretofore it has been the practice to make these terminals from castings of brass which are afterwards lead-coated to reduce corrosion- The aim of the present invention is accomplished by a novel method of manufacturing the conductor clamps from flat sheet metal, such as sheet steel- Further objects and advantages of the resent invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, wherein prefered forms of the present invention are 535 clearly shown.

In the drawings: Figs. 1 and 2 are plan and side edge views respectively of an elongated strip of sheet metal which has been shaped according to 3 the first steps of the process to be described.

Fig. 3 is a side edge view showing the second step of the process.

Fig; 4 is an end view looking in the direction of the arrow 4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view looking in the direction of arrow 5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a side edge view of "the piece shown in Fig. 3, after it has been bent about an axis midway between the ends of the 4s piece.

Fi s. 7 and 8 are side and edge views respectivel of the work after an operation following that shown by Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a plan view showing the conducg 4 tor clamp applied to the storage battery terminal and having a wire permanently attached thereto.

Fig. 10 is an edgeview of a modified form at the clamp.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2 of the to drawings, an elongated piece of sheet metal is provided with spaced apertures 21 and 22 which are equally spaced from the end edges 23 and 24 of the piece. The apertures 21 and 22 are surrounded by conical annular flanges 25 and 26, the flange 25 being slightly less in diameter than the flange 26. Midway between the holes 21 and 22 there is provided a smaller hole 27; and the material between the flanges 25 and 26 is proco videdwith a notch 28, which is included between shoulders 29 and 30.

The end portions 23 and 23 adjacent the end edges 23 and 24 respectively are shaped to provide half tubular portions 31 and 32 @5 respectively, having their concave surfaces 33and 3 facing in the same direction as the direction in which the annular flanges 25 and 26 face from the main portion of the piece.

The next step is to bend-the piece about the symmetrical axis AB in Fig. 1, which is parallel to the shorter edge of the piece and midway between the flanges 25 and 26.

Fig. 6 shows the work after this operation has been performed. In Fig. 6 the small circle marked AB indicates the axis about which the bendng has taken place. The work now comprises a bifurcated member having a yoke 36 joining two branch porso tions which include respectively the annular. flanges 25 and 26 and the half tubular portions 33 and 34. The flanges 25 and 26 are in alignment and are preferably in abutting relation. The half tubular portions are 10- 5 cated opposite each other so as to form a socket to receive a wire.

In order that the aperture defined by the flanges 25 and 26 may be adapted to recelve the conical tapered storage battery terminal on the flanges are forced over atapered mandrel so that the internal conical surfacespf the flange will form a substantially cont nuous conical surface of uniform taper. Referring to Fig. 8 it willbe noted that the 5 flange 25 has undergone 'a substant al change in shape fronithat shown in Flg'. 6-111 order that its internal conical surface will form a continuation of the internal surface of flange 26 which may be originally formed so as to have a conical internal surface of the same taper as the storage battery terminal which it is to engage.

Finally the yoke 36 is split into parts 36 and 36 by cutting the yoke and flanges 25 and 26. In this manner the piece has been formed so as to provide a split ring adapted to embrace a storage battery terminal indicated in Fig. 9 by numeral 37. The piece provides apertures 38 included between the yoke portions 36 and 36 and the flanges 25 and 26. These apertures receive a clamping bolt 39, which co-operates with a nut 40 to secure the clamp to the storage battery terminal 37. The shoulder parts 29 and 30 are adapted to engage one of the flat faces of the head of bolt 39 so as to prevent the bolt from turning while the nut 40 is adjusted. As shown in Fig. 9, the clamp is adapted to have an insulated conductor 41 attached thereto. The insulation of the conductor extends into the larger diameter tube portion of the clamp, while the metallic portion of said conductor designated by the numeral 42 extends into the smaller diameter portion of said clamp, being soldered thereto to secure the conductor to said clamp.

It is apparent that conductor clamps for storage battery terminals can be made according to the present invention at a much lower cost than similar articles made from castings. A conductor clamp made of sheet metal will be more resilient than. a casting, so that the split ring portion will expand when the nut 40 is loosened. It is generally necessary to pr loose a storage battery terminal clamp w ich has been made from a casting because the split ring portion does not expand appreciably after the clamping nut is loosened. This objectionable feature is eliminated by the present invention on account of the resiliency of the material from which the clamp is formed.

Fig. 10 is an edge view of a modified form, in which spaced, flat portions 33' and 34: are substituted for the half-tubular portions 33 and 34, respectively, of the form shown in Fig. 8. The space between the parts 33' and 34 is occupied by an end of a laminated conductor 50, which is soldered to these parts. The part 34! is similar to part 24 but is shorteraand the part 33 is formed by bending apart similar to part 23 but originally longer than the part 34'.

While the forms of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitute preferred forms, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follows What is clalmed is as follows:

1. The method of making a conductor clamp for storage battery terminals which consists in provlding an elongated piece of sheet metal with spaced holes equally spaced from the shorter end edges of the piece and with annular flanges surrounding the holes and extending from the same side of the piece; in shaping those portions of the piece which extend between the flanges and the end edges so as to form the two half-tubular parts the concave surfaces of which face in the same direction as the annular flanges; in bending the piece intermediate said holes so as to bring the flanges into opposite and aligned relation, and the half tubular parts opposite each other to form a wire receiving socket; and in splitting the intermediate bent portion through to the aperture surrounded by the flanges.

2. The method of making a conductor clamp for storage battery terminals which consists in providing an elongated piece of sheet metal with spaced holes equally spaced from the shorter edges of the piece and with conical annular flanges surrounding the holes and extending from the same side of the piece, the flanges differing slightly in diameter; in shaping those portions of the iece whlch extend between the flanges an the end edges so as to form two half tubular parts the concave surfaces of which face in the same direction as the annular flanges; in bending the piece intermediate said holes so as to bring the flanges into opposite and aligned relation, and the half tubular parts opposite each other to form a wire receiving socket; in shaping the flanges so that their internal conical surfaces will form a 3 bers forming a wire receiving socket, and

provided respectively with facing annular flanges surrounding aligned apertures in the branches, the yoke portion being split through to the aperture surrounded by the flanges to form a split clamping ring.

4. The method of making a conductor clamp for storage battery terminals which consists in providing an elongated piece of sheet metal With spaced holes equally spaced from the shorter end edges of the piece and with annular flanges surrounding the holes and extending from the same side of the peas; in shaping those portions of the iece whichextend between the flanges an the end edges so as to form two spaced con- 1 ductor-receiving membersin bending the piece intermediate said holes so as to bring the flanges into opposite and aligned relation, an the ends of the piece opposite each other to form a wire-receiving socket; and

5. A sheet metal conductor clamp for stornotch, and provided respectively with facing 10 annular flanges surrounding aligned f apertures in the branches, the yoke portion bein split through to the aperture surrounde by the flanges to 'form a split clampin ring;

In testimony whereof I my 15 hereby a signature.

EVERETT F. LEIGHTON. 

